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West Salem Elementary

Q: Is West Salem Elementary a good school?

West Salem Elementary ranks 342 nd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

342^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,111 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

West Salem Elementary is a PK-5 school in Salem, VA, serving 375 students as part of Salem City Public Schools, a district ranked 30th of 131 in Virginia. The school itself ranks 342nd of 1,111 Virginia elementary schools, placing it in the 69th percentile with 3 stars — a slight dip from last year's 71st percentile, but a clear improvement from 2021-22, when it sat at the 49th percentile. About 35.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a lower rate than other Salem City elementaries. Chronic absenteeism is a standout strength at just 6.1%, roughly half the statewide rate of 14.8% and the lowest among all 11 schools in the comparison set.

Academically, West Salem is strongest in 3rd and 4th grade math, and especially in 4th grade Virginia Studies, where 87.88% of students were proficient in 2025-26, well above district and state averages. The school has also become notably more effective at serving economically disadvantaged students: that subgroup jumped from the 62nd percentile in 2024-25 to the 82nd percentile this year. Boys rank at the 74th percentile statewide, ahead of girls at the 64th, though both sit above average. The school's post-pandemic recovery has been genuine, climbing from the 49th percentile in 2021-22 to stabilize in the upper third of Virginia elementary schools.

Challenges remain. Fifth grade science is the clearest gap, with 64.91% proficiency in 2025-26 compared to 68.75% statewide, and outcomes for students with disabilities have fallen sharply from the 88th percentile in 2023-24 to the 41st percentile in 2025-26. Within Salem City, West Salem ranks third among the district's four elementary schools: G.W. Carver Elementary ranks 190th statewide, South Salem Elementary 246th, and East Salem Elementary 569th. West Salem achieves these results while spending $10,591 per student — less than many nearby schools — and with lower poverty rates than Carver or East Salem. Nearby Fort Lewis Elementary in Roanoke County Public Schools ranks higher overall, but West Salem's 4th grade Virginia Studies scores exceed Fort Lewis's, and its attendance record is better.

375

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,591

Per pupil spending ?

35.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

520 N Bruffey St
Salem, VA 24153-2598

(540) 387-2503

District: Salem City Public Schools

Students who attend West Salem Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Andrew Lewis Middle
High:	Salem High

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.9%

Hispanic:

6.9%

African American:

6.4%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare West Salem Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 68th percentile in 2016 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Virginia average (80% vs 72% meeting standards)

✓Above the Virginia median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Salem City Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school80%

District avg75%

Virginia avg72%

342^nd of 1,111

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Elementary Schools in the Salem City Public Schools

30^th of 131Salem City Public Schools among Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	70.7	342 of 1111	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.2	323 of 1110	70.9%	★★★★☆
2024	69.0	370 of 1114	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.3	463 of 1114	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.3	561 of 1109	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	78.8	225 of 1103	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.3	427 of 1105	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.9	456 of 1097	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	69.1	318 of 1099	71.1%	★★★★☆
2016	67.1	349 of 1096	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.0	217 of 1100	80.3%	★★★★☆
2014	74.3	230 of 1110	79.3%	★★★★☆
2013	72.6	260 of 1120	76.8%	★★★★☆
2012	71.2	259 of 1117	76.8%	★★★★☆
2011	74.5	204 of 1117	81.7%	★★★★☆
2010	61.2	426 of 1113	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	61.3	408 of 1082	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.9	243 of 1081	77.5%	★★★★☆
2007	70.2	274 of 1083	74.7%	★★★★☆
2006	77.2	160 of 1071	85.1%	★★★★☆
2005	71.1	250 of 1062	76.5%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	50.1	249 of 420	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	77.9	41 of 355	88.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	65.2	400 of 1100	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.7	412 of 1096	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	447 of 1098	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.0	563 of 1100	48.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	73.9	190 of 1040	81.7%	★★★★☆
2025	60.3	397 of 1046	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.3	360 of 1036	65.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	72.9	290 of 1099	73.6%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	232 of 1093	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	284 of 1101	74.2%	★★★★☆
2023	66.4	371 of 1093	66.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	476 of 974	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.0	485 of 973	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.5	490 of 979	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	637 of 984	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)82nd percentile+13 vs school

Male (2026)74th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)51st percentile-18 vs school

Disabled (2026)41st percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2025-2026) ?

VA Studies88%+17 vs state

Mathematics84%+11 vs state

English Reading79%+8 vs state

Science65%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near West Salem Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				SOL Mathematics (2026)			SOL Science (2026)	SOL English Reading (2026)			SOL VA Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
West Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	520 N Bruffey St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2503	375	27	13.7	35.5%	296 (78.9%)	24 (6.4%)	26 (6.9%)	12 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.5%)	70.7	342^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	69.2%		72.2	323^rd of 1110 public elementary schools	70.9%	19	87.3	87.0	77.2	64.9	72.7	87.0	75.4	87.9	$10,591	$289	$10,302
G.W. Carver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6 Fourth St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 387-2492	404	29	13.8	88.4%	234 (57.9%)	96 (23.8%)	47 (11.6%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	80.9	190^th of 1111 public elementary schools	82.9%		72.1	325^th of 1110 public elementary schools	70.7%	135	89.5	82.3	90.4	82.2	81.1	83.3	87.7	84.4	$11,206	$1,271	$9,935
South Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 Carolyn Rd	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-2478	371	36	10.1	40.2%	282 (76.0%)	30 (8.1%)	36 (9.7%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	77.2	246^th of 1111 public elementary schools	77.9%		77.6	251^st of 1110 public elementary schools	77.4%	5	87.5	90.2	75.0	76.8	80.4	90.2	80.4	84.5	$10,097	$503	$9,594
Fort Lewis Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3115 West Main St	Salem	24153	Salem city	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6594	250	18	14.2	21.6%	198 (79.2%)	5 (2.0%)	18 (7.2%)	10 (4.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	86.5	97^th of 1111 public elementary schools	91.3%		87	88^th of 1110 public elementary schools	92.1%	9	94.4	94.2	94.3	85.7	94.4	86.5	82.9	84.3	$11,452	$1,716	$9,736
East Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1765 Boulevard	Salem	24153	Salem city	Salem City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 375-7001	378	30	12.8	88.1%	163 (43.1%)	76 (20.1%)	94 (24.9%)	9 (2.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.3%)	54.2	569^th of 1111 public elementary schools	48.8%		54.4	545^th of 1110 public elementary schools	50.9%	24	71.4	83.9	80.6	59.7	74.6	78.6	62.7	75.5	$12,726	$1,432	$11,295
Glen Cove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5901 Cove Rd	Roanoke	24019	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 561-8135	425	30	14.4	67.5%	263 (61.9%)	63 (14.8%)	47 (11.1%)	19 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	82	174^th of 1111 public elementary schools	84.3%		81.1	194^th of 1110 public elementary schools	82.5%	20	86.8	79.7	88.7	87.1	83.8	83.1	90.5	87.3	$10,189	$481	$9,708
Glenvar Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4507 Malus Dr	Salem	24153	Salem city	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 387-6540	372	26	14.5	42.7%	322 (86.6%)	13 (3.5%)	18 (4.8%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.0%)	62.6	446^th of 1111 public elementary schools	59.9%		64.4	431^st of 1110 public elementary schools	61.2%	15	71.9	77.4	86.4	81.4	51.6	87.0	79.7	82.0	$10,676	$503	$10,172
Oak Grove Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5005 Grandin Rd Extension	Roanoke	24018	Roanoke County	Roanoke County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 772-7580	400	32	12.6	46.3%	277 (69.3%)	45 (11.3%)	36 (9.0%)	18 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.0%)	76.2	267^th of 1111 public elementary schools	76.0%		80.5	207^th of 1110 public elementary schools	81.4%	60	80.3	78.9	80.6	83.6	77.3	84.5	88.1	88.4	$11,876	$466	$11,410
Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1441 Westside Blvd NW	Roanoke	24017	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2967	624	54	11.5	98.9%	69 (11.1%)	342 (54.8%)	149 (23.9%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.5%)	2.8	1091^st of 1111 public elementary schools	1.8%		4.5	1076^th of 1110 public elementary schools	3.1%	15	51.1	30.4	41.0	23.1	45.2	38.0	41.0	34.8	$14,177	$2,212	$11,965
Fairview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	648 Westwood Blvd NW	Roanoke	24017	Roanoke city	Roanoke City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 853-2978	479	40	12.0	99.4%	67 (14.0%)	258 (53.9%)	74 (15.4%)	50 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.1%)	8.1	1042^nd of 1111 public elementary schools	6.2%		17	961^st of 1110 public elementary schools	13.4%	81	35.1	50.0	52.2	49.3	28.1	56.6	50.8	48.6	$12,110	$2,316	$9,794

Frequently Asked Questions about West Salem Elementary

How many students attend West Salem Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 375 students attended West Salem Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of West Salem Elementary?

Students at West Salem Elementary are 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is West Salem Elementary in?

Salem City Public Schools

Is West Salem Elementary a good school?

West Salem Elementary ranks 342^nd of 1111 Virginia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of West Salem Elementary attend?

Students who attend West Salem Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Andrew Lewis Middle
High : Salem High

Rate West Salem Elementary!

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Latest Virginia data All new data »

2025–26 SOL test scoresNewAug 25, 2026

2021–22 school spending dataFeb 16, 2026

2022–23 through 2023–24 school spending dataFeb 10, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 6, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.